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Trump’s harshest agenda item is also his most popular

3 0
02.04.2025
Demonstrators hold signs as they protest the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh of Brown University at the statehouse in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 17, 2025. | Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump’s popularity is slipping. His honeymoon is over, views of the economy and his stewardship of it are souring, and while inflation and prices remain the public’s top priority, they see his administration as focusing on other things.

Yet the area where they think Trump is most focusing his attention is also the one where he’s most popular: immigration. It’s what the public thinks he’s handling best, and it’s the issue buoying his overall approval rating right now.

A couple recent national polls show how resilient this dynamic is. Take the latest March CBS News/YouGov poll. It finds that an outright majority — 53 percent — of the American public approves of Trump’s handling of immigration. They approve of his mass deportation pledge, and the numbers remain largely unchanged since last month.

That majority support on immigration stands in contrast to his other ratings in that poll. Some 48 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy, with 52 percent disapproving in late March. That’s down from 51 percent approval a month ago. And when it comes to inflation, specifically, just 44 percent approve, down from 46 percent last month.

Those sharper marks on immigration come not only despite questions about the legality of the administration’s methods, but also as news organizations

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